Post Game Recap: STAR WARS: CLONE WARS S3E15 "Overlords"

By Amy Ratcliffe, Newsarama Contributor January 31, 2011 06:38am ET

Post Game: THE CLONE WARS "Overlords"

With the Clone Wars raging, it's easy to put aside a key part of the story. Anakin Skywalker is supposed to be the Chosen One. Well, Qui-Gon Jinn thought so. The topic hasn't been brought up much in the series until now. Episode 15 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, "Overlords," brings viewers back to that prophecy. Remember that the the title of this season is 'Secrets Revealed.' It's time to learn more of them.

The Jedi Council receives a distress signal that hasn't been heard in over 2,000 years. They send Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka to investigate the source far away on the Outer Rim. Though they are supposed to meet up with an armed Jedi cruiser, something mysterious happens. They should be at the exact same coordinates, but the Jedi's ship ends up somewhere different from the cruiser's location. Their ship powers down for no reason, and they are pulled into a diamond-shaped object that has suddenly appeared.

They are dragged into the space station of sorts in a blinding white light. They are knocked unconscious and awake to find themselves on an unknown world. Because of issues with the ship's systems, they can't tell if they are even in their galaxy. Ahsoka determines that the atmosphere is breathable, and the three Jedi cautiously step outside. The organic mass they've been drawn into is breathtaking. The sky is cerulean blue, the ground is covered in lush green, and small mountains float in the air (it looks a little like a scene from Avatar). Anakin hears a voice saying, “Are you the one?” At first, only he hears it. Then a luminous female humanoid appears. She is the Daughter, and she must take Anakin to Him. Whoever Him is.

Since the Jedi don't really have a choice, they follow this strange Daughter who has lush green hair that would impress any anime cosplayer. They realize that it is important for them to stick together. The sort-of planet is weird. The seasons change according to the time of day, and the Force is strong. Even Obi-Wan has never been anywhere where it was stronger. They get the stranger to tell them that she is leading them to the Father. She says that she is the beginning, the middle, and the end. Yeah, she's one of those really helpful types. Despite their efforts to avoid it, Anakin is split from Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. The Son (the Daughter's brother) has interfered. Anakin disobeys the Daughter's order to stay put and continues in her wake. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka return to the ship so they can try to send a distress signal.

They run into a slight problem with their plan; the ship isn't where they left it. The sky darkens, and the world around them shrivels and dies. The Son has followed them, and he doesn't seem happy. He wants to know if Anakin is the Chosen One. When Obi-Wan and Ahsoka brandish their lightsabers the Son is able to power them down with a wave of his hand. His obvious power makes Obi-Wan believe he is Sith. The Son says he is... and isn't. A severe storm rolls in and as the rain starts to fall, the Son transforms into a winged creature and leaves the Jedi in utter confusion.

Meanwhile, Anakin spots a monastery (the only visible building) on the horizon and heads there. He finds a wizened man who speaks with a resonance not unlike Mother Talzin's. It is the Father, and he wants to know who Anakin truly is. He believes Anakin is the Chosen One. Since the hour is late, he insists upon Anakin staying and being his guest. Strange beds bring strange dreams though. Anakin sees his mother, Shmi. She tells Anakin that she has a secret - “Everything you have done, everything you have learned has led you here.” Anakin knows she's dead and doesn't trust that it's his mother, but the emotion is too strong. He is shaken and angered. He leaves his room to confront the Father.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka find shelter from the storm in a cave light by incandescent crystals. They each have interesting visitors. Obi-Wan's old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, appears as a Force spirit. He says they are at a place that is a conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows. Qui-Gon knows that the three here believe as he did – Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One. Ahsoka sees a future version of herself. The adult Togruta warns that seeds of the Dark Side have been planted within them by Anakin. Before she disappears, she tells her younger self to leave the planet and to separate from Anakin before it is too late. Ahsoka wakes up and tells Obi-Wan that she has had a vision. She thinks her Master is in trouble.

She's right. Anakin has pushed the Father to the truth. The Father says he is neither Sith or Jedi; he is much more. He admits that he and his children can manipulate the Force like no others. He has chosen to keep them separate from the world as anchorites. His sole purpose is to maintain the balance between his children – a balance between the Dark and the Light. He has to watch them; they have the power to tear apart the universe. When he heard that the Chosen One had been found, he reached out to pull Anakin to him. Anakin has to pass just one test to ultimately determine whether he is the One. After the test, he and his friends can leave.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are already on the way to find Anakin. Morning creeps in around them, and the crystalline trees of nighttime morph into the bright green leaves of day. As they are remarking on the strangeness of the place, they are each swooped up into the talons of two giant winged creatures that resemble the Daughter and the Son. The creatures take them to a stone arena adjacent to the monastery where Anakin and the Father are waiting. The Father says that Anakin must choose which of his companions to save – the Master or the Padawan.

There is another option. Anakin channels the immense Force presence of the world and throws back the Daughter and the Son. He changes day into night and the floor of the arena matches the starry sky. He manipulated the heaves. He forces the winged forms to drop his friends safely to the ground. He wrangles them with the Force and makes them morph to their humanoid forms and drop to their knees. That was the test. The Father says that only the Chosen One could reign in the power of his children. The Prophecy of the Chosen One is to stay on Mortis and replace the dying Father. Someone has to keep the children in balance. Anakin refuses to stay. The Father warns that his selfishness will haunt him, and he's probably right. The Jedi leave the planet as the “Imperial March” plays softly in the background.

Trivia & Notes

Liam Neeson returns to the Star Wars universe, reprising his role as Qui-Gon Jinn. Pernilla August also returns as Shmi Skywalker.

The Son is voiced by Sam Witwer. He also plays the voice of Starkiller (who walks a fine balance between light and dark) in the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video games.

Adrienne Wilkinson voices the Daughter. She is the voice of Maris Brood in the same video game (and is also seen as both light and dark there), and she will also be in the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The statues to the either side of the Father's throne (for lack of a better word), the griffin and the gargoyle, symbolize the beast forms of his children.